It's Just Research
by spaceman-earthgirl
Summary: Kate Beckett is an award winning writer who has to follow around the childish detective, Rick Castle, while doing research for her upcoming book. Caskett.
1. Chapter 1

My friend gave me this idea and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. There are probably others similar to this but I hope you'll give it a chance.

Kate Beckett is an award winning writing who has to follow around the childish detective, Rick Castle, while doing research for her upcoming book. There jobs may be swapped but there personalities will be as close to canon as possible.

My other time travel fic is still coming but it's going to be put on hold for a bit while I write this.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.**

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Katherine Beckett was all about research and that's why she's always thought her novels had been so successful. While so far she'd only written science fiction novels, she now wanted to try her hand at writing mystery ones. She'd always loved a good mystery, until her mother died that is, but now her mother's murder had finally been solved and she was ready to move on and write what she truly loved to write. She'd been hiding in the fantasy worlds she'd created in her previous novels but now she wanted to get on with her life and writing mystery novels is how she wanted to do it.

Research is the reason she'd originally gone to the New York City morgue and where she'd first met Lanie Parish, who is a medical examiner. She'd become friends with Lanie after she'd gone there with questions about dead bodies for her most recent novel. That novel had recently been published and she'd gone back with more questions, but this time, they were more questions to do with the actual solving of the crime as opposed to dead bodies.

"Why don't you ask an actual cop these questions?" asked Lanie, after Beckett had asked yet another murder related questions. Lanie could tell her everything there was to know about dead bodies but when it came to evidence and motive, Lanie wasn't the person to ask.

"Because I don't know any cops," replied Beckett. All her previous research about crime solving and the legal system had been done online but she had considered finding someone to talk to that would help her get the facts right in her upcoming book.

"I know a few, I could easily set you up with one," replied Lanie, not just talking about introducing Beckett to some of her cop friends to do book research.

Beckett saw the look in her friend's eye and replied, "Lanie, it's strictly business, I'm not looking for a relationship right now and I really have to focus on getting my next book written." Her publisher was calling her everyday to see how she was going with her new book since she'd killed off her last character and truth be told, her writing was going nowhere. She hoped that doing more research would inspire her to write more and get the book written by the publisher's deadline.

"Who said anything about a relationship?" asked Lanie, laughing at the look Beckett shot her after she'd said that.

"You're impossible," replied Beckett but joined in with Lanie's laughing.

Lanie did set her up, but not in that way. She'd been talking to Captain Montgomery from the 12th Precinct and he'd agreed to let her shadow one of his detectives, saying it would be good publicity for the NYPD. She was on her way to the precinct now, to meet the detective who she'd be shadowing, and apparently he was the best homicide detective the precinct had to offer.

XXX

Detective Richard Castle was bored. He'd been sitting at his desk for the past hour doing paperwork and the boredom was already getting to him, he hoped they'd get a good case soon. Giving up on paperwork, he got out his phone and started playing games on it, hoping the captain wouldn't notice.

The elevator dinged as he looked up and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of the woman who had just stepped off it. She was undoubtedly one of the most attractive woman he'd ever seen, but not only that, he recognized her as the famous novelist, Katherine Beckett.

His eyes followed her as she made her way across the bullpen. Boredom forgotten, he quickly stood and went to intercept her, wanting to meet the award winning writer.

"Can I help you?" he asked, putting on his best smile as he stepped in front of her, blocking her way forward.

"I'm here to meet Captain Montgomery," she answered, making eye contact with him but not returning the smile.

"His office is right there," he replied, gesturing to the door behind him and to the right.

"Thanks," Beckett said, going to step around him but he stepped in front of her, blocking her path again.

"Don't I at least get to know the name of the pretty lady who's just entered our precinct?" he asked, eyes roaming up and down her body, the look in his eye making Beckett blush slightly.

She was getting slightly annoyed now though. While she was flattered by his interest, she did have somewhere she needed to be and didn't have time for this. Plus, she could tell he was the kind of person who flirted like this with people often.

"Kate Beckett," she said, now eyeing him warily, wanting to get on with what she'd come here to do.

"Detective Rick Castle," he replied, holding out his hand which she reluctantly shook.

"And what do you do Miss Beckett?" he asked, but before she could reply he spoke again, "wait, let me guess. Well, you're not a cop, I can tell that straight away, not a lawyer either. I would say journalist, judging by the note book you're currently holding but I don't think that that's it either." He paused, acted like he was really thinking about it before he continued, "I know, you're a writer."

The look on her face told him he was right and of course he was, he'd known exactly who she was when she walked in but from the moment she spoke to him, he saw how serious she was and wanted to make things a bit more fun, and he thought teasing her like this was the way to do it.

"Written anything I may have read?" asked Castle, when Beckett hadn't responded. He had read all her books actually and her most recent series, The Storm Series, are his favourite books. He's a huge sci-fi fan, although he usually keeps that to himself. He loves reading and watching all things sci-fi, his favourite TV series being the short lived series, Firefly,

"Probably not," Beckett replied, wondering how he knew what she did but she also wanted this conversation to end so she continued, "and now if you'll excuse me, I need to speak with your Captain."

He let her go then, saying he hoped to see her around again. She hoped she didn't have to see him because while she'd admit that he was handsome, she was a no nonsense kind of a person and she could tell he was the complete opposite of that.

After introducing herself to the Captain, he talked to her a bit more about what she wanted. He'd already decided that she was going to be following Castle which made sense because he was the best in the precinct. He was also the only one likely to say yes to having a civilian follow him around. The Captain hadn't asked him yet but he was sure Castle would find it fun to have a shadow. While Castle's methods were sometimes a bit unorthodox, him and his team had the highest closure rate and Montgomery knew Beckett would benefit most from following him.

Beckett explained again that she wanted someone she could follow around for the next few months so she could see firsthand crimes being solved and how the system worked. This would then still give her time to write the draft of her next book which was due in six months, if she found inspiration that is.

The Captain stood then, saying he'd call the detective into the office that she was going to be following.

"Castle, a word," Montgomery called out the open door and Beckett paled. Castle, the man she'd been speaking to before?

She could see through the window as Castle made his way to the office she was in and she inwardly cursed at her luck. She wondered if she could request a change in detective but from what Montgomery had said, Castle would be the only one that she'd be able to follow, at this precinct anyway. And he was the best, maybe she'd misjudged him.

Beckett sat there in silence as the captain explained to Castle what Beckett was there for and that his job would be to help her with any questions she had. Castle was grinning by the time the captain had finished speaking and he turned to Beckett.

"Welcome to the gang," Castle said, grabbing her hand and shaking it enthusiastically. Beckett already knew she was going to regret this decision to do on the job research.

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What did you think? And more will be on it's way!


	2. Chapter 2

So I know Beckett as a character wouldn't base a book on Castle but she's a writer and had to write about something. I'm trying to keep the characters as close to their personalities as possible while their jobs are reversed which is probably going to be pretty hard.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.**

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Castle couldn't believe it, Katherine Beckett had just left his precinct after agreeing to shadow him on the job and he was ecstatic. He absolutely loved her books and wondered how he'd been the lucky one to be chosen to have her shadow him. He knew it wouldn't have been her choice, not after how he'd acted earlier so it must've been the captain. He was a bit worried about how he'd acted earlier, hoping he hadn't come on too strong but that didn't matter now because they'd be spending lots of time working together and he was sure he could change her opinion of him.

He thought again how lucky he was to have an author like her following him around. He wondered why she'd want to follow around a detective when all her previous books had been sci-fi. Maybe she was writing about a cop in the future? Or maybe she was deciding to change genre after all these years of writing? It was something he'd have to ask her.

Castle had always loved reading. When Alexis, his only daughter, was just a baby, he used to sit by her bed and read while she slept. Not having wanted to leave her side, most nights he'd fallen asleep on the couch in her room while reading. He'd discovered her books when Alexis was older, about 10, and he'd instantly fell in love with them. He'd read sci fi books ever since he was young and hers had quickly become his favourite. He wondered if she'd remember him from that book signing a few years ago, probably not considering how many books she must have signed on that day alone.

He smiled as he thought about all this before turning back to his neglected paper work, now hoping they'd get a case even sooner so he'd get a chance to see Kate Beckett again.

XXX

The whole reason Beckett had wanted to follow a detective around was so she could gain accurate knowledge of solving crimes and have any questions she had answered by an experienced detective. She got none of that by following Castle around.

She'd come in the day after she'd been assigned to follow him, even though they had no case. She'd had a list of questions she wanted answered and when she'd first told him this he said there would be time for that later, before he pulled out his phone and started playing a game. They'd then received their first call to a crime scene together which had actually been very informative. It had taken them a few days but they'd solved it, it was the father-in-law, but what surprised Beckett most was how enjoyable she'd found the whole thing, working with someone, building theory, having someone to bounce ideas off. What surprised her most though was the fact that it was Rick Castle that she seemed to work so well with.

While at first she thought he was the kind of man to never take anything seriously, who acted as if everything was a joke, but she'd been wrong. He was like that a lot of the time, and she thought maybe that was a coping mechanism, a way to not let all the death around him get to him, but she noticed how serious he could be when it really mattered. And he was smart. She knew he had to be to be as good of a detective as she'd heard but she hadn't believed it until she'd witnessed it first hand.

Of course, after the case, he went back to his usual joking self. So when she'd asked again if he could answer some of her questions, he took the paper off her, screwed it up, and tossed it into the bin on the other side of the room. He'd even yelled out "score" and high-fived a uniform who had been walking past at the time.

But how they'd worked together, and the type of work they'd done, got her thinking about the novel she had to write.

XXX

Richard Castle is slowly going to drive her insane but she can't believe it, she's only been following Castle for a month and already inspiration has struck. She's already had the idea for her next book and she'd pitched it to her publisher and she'd loved it.

As soon as she'd had the idea it had intrigued her and now it wouldn't leave her alone. She'd mapped out enough plot for several books and she hadn't even written one yet. She wasn't writing a book about her and Castle, it was more just the idea behind their partnership and how they worked together and then the story had taken on a life of its own. And she was genuinely excited and inspired to write now, instead of using writing as an excuse to hide from the real world.

XXX

Beckett was sitting in the seat beside Castle's desk, the seat that Castle had designated as hers. She was writing down ideas she had about her upcoming novel. She already had a basic plot, a journalist shadows a New York City detective and they solve crimes together.

It had been six weeks since Beckett had started following Castle and already she'd helped him solve several crimes. The way they worked together was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before, not that she'd ever tell Castle that.

"Jameson Rook?" Castle asked, after seeing the named scribbled down on her notepad that she'd been writing furiously on since they gotten their last confession and closed another case.

"Stop looking at my stuff, Castle," she replied, snatching her notebook off the desk. It probably hadn't been the best idea to lean on his desk to write where he could clearly see it.

"Hey, it's not my fault you're writing where I can see the page," replied Castle, regretting having said anything if only so he could've read more of what she'd written down.

"So, who's Jameson Rook?" Castle continued when Beckett did nothing but glare at him.

"No one."

"Come on, he has to be someone."

"Just a name idea for a character in my next book," but it was more than an idea, that was the name of her male lead in the series she was currently planning. She had yet to name the female lead.

"You named a character after me?" Castle asked, not sure he'd heard correctly.

"He's not named after you," Beckett replied, but she knew that wasn't true, she was technically basing the whole character on him after all. She also knew that it would come out eventually that she was basing the character on him, she just wished it hadn't been this soon.

"Of course he is, Castle and Rook, like chess," replied Castle, and seeing the look on Beckett's face he knew he was right.

"I'm changing the name then if you're going to be like that," said Beckett, trying to will the blush that was staining her cheeks to vanish.

"No, don't, I'd be honoured if you named a character after me," said Castle, and he was, not many people could say that their favourite author was going to name a character after them.

"He's not named after you Castle!" she said exasperatedly.

"If that's me, what's your character's name?" replied Castle, ignoring Beckett's last statement.

"My character?" asked Beckett, confused at the turn in Castle's thoughts.

"The female lead," Castle paused for a few seconds, looking deep in thought, before he continued, "what about Nikki Heat?"

"There is no way I'm naming my female lead Nikki Heat," Beckett replied, rolling her eyes at how excited Castle seemed to be about her writing a novel.

"Fine, it was just a thought. What's your book going to be about anyway?" and again he marvelled at the fact that he was sitting with his favourite author and he could discuss things like this with her, hear things that other fans only dream about.

"A journalist follows around a detective while they solve crimes together," Beckett replied, eyes now looking away from Castle and the blush had returned.

"I knew it, you're writing a book about me. Well, about us actually, I assume you're the journalist? And that just proves it, you named Rook after me," said Castle, bouncing in his seat from excitement.

"I'm leaving, I'll see you tomorrow" said Beckett, needing to leave, he was so infuriating and happy all the time. And before Castle could say another word, she got up and left, leaving him grinning and watching her as she entered the elevator and the doors closed behind her.

He never thought he'd have this much fun while having someone shadow him but he couldn't help but wonder what had caused Beckett to write a mystery instead of more science fiction. He found himself already looking forward to when she'd be back, mostly so he could tease her some more, but also because he was enjoying finding out more about the mysterious Kate Beckett and she did look adorable when she blushed.

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Interested in seeing more? Let me know :)

And I can see this story getting rather long if I keep at it!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it's a bit short but I didn't want to add anything else to this part. Also, I edited the previous chapter to make the age difference between Beckett and Alexis the same as the show.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.**

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Beckett can't believe she's been following Castle around for almost a year already. It was meant to be just a few months while she did her research but even when her research was done, she found she didn't want to leave. She was lucky to get signed on for another book so that had been her excuse for staying longer, more research. Although, she was sure Castle would've let her stay longer if she'd wanted to, it would more have been about getting permission from the captain for her to stay at the precinct.

What she's currently worried about is Castle reading her book that was released yesterday. First of all, she'd actually named her female lead Nikki Heat after he'd suggested it. It was his fault, after he'd said it, she couldn't think of her character as anyone else. Then there was the sex scene on page 105. Of course it was complete fiction but if Castle ever read it, he'd think that it was based on him and her and that she'd been fantasizing about him, which she hadn't of course. Whether or not he'd read any of her previous books, she did think that he would read this one.

Over the time that she'd been working with him, she'd discovered that he liked teasing her about her writing. He did this by leaving copies of her book just lying around the precinct. One day, she'd turned up after he'd called her in for a case and she'd found one of her Derrick Storm novels sitting on his desk. She hadn't mentioned anything about it and neither had he and a few days later, it was gone.

Less than a month later another one of her books had appeared at the precinct, this time in the break room. Again, she said nothing and neither did he and within a week it was gone. It was still going on now, occasionally she'd see a book of hers at the precinct and then not long later it would vanish. She knew that no one was reading them so Castle must have been doing it just to tease her, right?

When she saw her new novel on his desk however, she knew that was a bad sign. He wasn't really going to read it right? He was still just messing with her? Her hopes were crushed when she sat down in her chair and he began talking.

"I must say, page 105 was pretty interesting."

"You read it!" exclaimed Beckett, already wishing she hadn't come in today.

"Of course I read it, it's based on us," replied Castle, laughing at Beckett blushing.

"It's loosely based on our jobs and personalities, the rest is purely fiction," replied Beckett. She'd written that not thinking he'd ever read it but she should've known he would, it was based on him after all. Oh god, she'd written a sex scene between her and Castle, she was never going to live this down now, especially now that he thought of it like that.

"It doesn't have to be fiction for long," replied Castle, wagging his eye brows at her.

"Castle," Beckett said, the warning in her tone telling him he should stop talking.

"But seriously, it was a great book," replied Castle, no longer laughing, and he really did mean it and he wanted her to know that. Even if it wasn't science fiction like he usually read, it was one of his favorites and it had nothing to do with the fact that she'd based it on them. He'd always loved her writing, the way she spun a story, it was almost magical.

"Really?" asked Beckett, not sure why she suddenly wanted his approval but she did.

"Really," replied Castle, giving Beckett one of his smiles that felt like they were only for her. It wasn't his usual flirtatious smile, but one that was genuine and always had Beckett smiling in return.

XXX

It was 6 months after her first novel about them came out that she found another copy of one of her books at the precinct and she couldn't help wondering again where Castle got them all from. They were waiting for Ryan and Esposito to bring a suspect in and she'd been bored while Castle was doing some paperwork and she'd wandered into the break room. She saw one of her novels sitting on the table and rolled her eyes, Castle was really going all out with teasing her with her books. She still hadn't brought it up with him, the only time they'd talked about her finding one of her books had been when she'd seen her most recent one on his desk, but she knew it was him, who else would it have been?

She picked up the book this time, flicking through it. It certainly wasn't a fan favorite but it was hers. She's not entirely sure why but it was the one she'd had most fun writing and had always liked the story.

She almost dropped the book in surprise when she saw what was on the inside cover of the book.

_Rick, it's my favorite too, KB._

He was a fan? He must be, to have the book signed like that. And if this book was his favorite, that means that he's read more than one of them. That also means that he knew who she was the day she walked into the precinct. She doesn't know what to make of how he acted when he first met her but she can think about that later, all she can think about now is that he's a fan of her books.

If he's a fan, then maybe all those books she'd been finding had actually been his? Had he really read so many of her books? She just couldn't picture the Castle she knew, sitting down and reading one of her books, or any book really. He always seemed to be moving, like he couldn't sit still. But maybe this was just another part of him that she would get to discover, like the fact that he's a father.

She'd been astonished the first time Alexis had come into the precinct. She'd been even more astonished when she saw what a good father he was, it wasn't something that she'd expected but it was something that made him even more attractive in her mind.

She'd found out more about him the longer she stayed at the precinct and that was partly why she still wanted to be there. There were basically three things keeping her there, the research, the surprising amount that she actually enjoyed being there and Castle.

She obviously wasn't going to tell him any of this of course, just liked she wasn't going to mention the fact the she knew he was a fan, not yet anyway. Yes, there would be teasing later over the fact that he'd obviously read her books but right now, she couldn't get over the fact that her favorite book was his favorite too.

He was an interesting man, Rick Castle. She was learning more and more about him and with each day, she found herself falling harder for him.

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Feedback is always appreciated and I hope you enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter 4

I feel like this needs a warning just in case so,

**warning: case related child death.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.**

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Castle called her early one morning for a case, but this case was nothing like she'd worked on before. A child had been found dead in a dumpster behind a building. Castle had told her it was a child that had been murdered and said that she could skip this one if she wanted but she'd said she'd help anyway.

She already regretted it. She'd turned up at the crime scene and Castle explained what had happened before he'd shown her the dumpster where the girl had been found and the body.

"Young girl, no more than three years old, found in a dumpster and cause of death was a blow to the back of the head," said Castle. That's all they knew so far, they had no ID as of yet and no missing person report had been filed.

But when Beckett actually saw the body, well the sheet covering her small frame, she wanted to be sick. Who could kill a child like that? The body was tiny and she couldn't handle the onslaught of emotions that hit her at the sight of the small figure and she just had to get away, she couldn't look at it anymore.

"I'm sorry," said Beckett before she turned and quickly walked to the end of the alleyway and part way down the street. She stopped when she reached a set of stairs leading up to a building and grabbed the railing, taking the weight off her shaking legs. She breathed deeply, in and out, trying to calm her ragged breaths.

A few minutes later Castle appeared behind her. He'd been worried as soon as she'd taken off and after having a quick word to Ryan and Esposito, he'd followed her.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, not wanting to startle her.

She took a deep breath, willing the tears from her eyes, before answering, "Yeah, I'm fine." She wasn't fine in all honestly but if he had to deal with this, the least she could do was help him. He's probably taking it pretty hard himself, especially having a daughter of his own.

"You can take the rest of the day off if you want, no one will think any less of you," Castle said, placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing slightly. Beckett didn't get to see this side of Castle very often but she was glad when she did, although right now she wasn't very happy about the circumstances that led to Castle showing his more caring and protective side.

"No, I'm okay. I want to catch the son of a bitch that did this," replied Beckett, the sad look in her eyes being replaced by one of determination.

"Are you sure?" asked Castle, he'd seen the look in her eyes when she'd seen the body and knew she hadn't taken it well.

"Yes Castle, I'm sure," replied Beckett, and after a moment she continued, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, well I will be once we solve this. There's no way I'm letting the murderer get away with this one," replied Castle, smiling slightly as Beckett put her hand over his hand that was still on her shoulder.

"Okay, let's do this."

XXX

By the end of the day, they still had no idea who the girl was and were no closer to finding the killer. They decided to call it a night, hoping that a fresh look at the case in the morning would lead them somewhere.

Beckett had originally gone back to her place but she couldn't sleep. The case was swirling around in her head and she couldn't shut her mind off. With that and the little girls face permanently etched behind her eyelids, sleep seemed like a lost cause.

She didn't know what made her do it but before she could really register what she was doing, she was standing in front of Castle's door.

She texted him, not wanting to wake the rest of his family, saying that she was at his door.

"Beckett?" A tired looking Castle opened the door and while he was in pajamas and his hair was messy, it didn't look like he'd actually been to sleep.

"Hi. Sorry, I shouldn't have come here but I couldn't sleep," answered Beckett, not really sure how Castle would react to her turning up like this.

"Couldn't stop thinking about the case either?" asked Castle. No matter how hard he'd tried, he just couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened to the little girl and trying to figure out what had happened to her. Who kills a three year old and leaves their body in a dumpster?

Castle invited her in and offered her a hot drink. They then sat on the couch together, wrapped in blankets that Castle had retrieved from his room, and went over all the facts they had, hoping to come up something that would help them solve this case. Beckett couldn't help how comfortable she felt here, being wrapped in warmth and sitting in his home with him.

Neither of them knew how late they were up together talking about the case but at some point they must have fallen asleep. When Beckett woke, the first thing she registered was that she wasn't in her bed. It was then that she remembered that she'd shown up at Castle's late last night and must have fallen asleep. The second thing she registered was the warmth coming from whatever she was leaning against. Richard Castle, that's what, or rather who, she was leaning on. She tried not to freak out at this realization and sat up slowly, not wanting to alert him to the fact that she'd fallen asleep on him.

"Castle," she whispered, once she'd sat up, prodding his shoulder as she did so.

"Hmmm?" he answered, obviously still mostly asleep.

"Wake up, we fell asleep and we have a case to solve," replied Beckett, fully awake now. Once Castle was a bit more awake, Beckett continued, "Why don't you go get dressed and I'll make us some coffee?"

"Okay," said Castle, smiling as he extracted himself from the blankets that had been around them both and went to get dressed.

He returned not long later to find Beckett had not only made coffee, but breakfast for them both. It was still early and she didn't expect Martha or Alexis to be up any time soon so she'd made just enough for both of them.

They ate breakfast together before they headed back to the precinct, stopping at Beckett's on the way so she could change clothes.

It turned out a break was exactly what everyone needed and fresh eyes on the case was a big help.

They managed to find out who the victim was when a couple saw her picture on the news and identified her as their daughter.

Once they'd figured out who the girl was, the rest wasn't hard to put together. The girl's uncle had been looking after her and so the parents hadn't been aware that the girl was missing. When they saw her face on TV, they'd immediately gotten in contact with the police wanting to know what had happened to their baby.

It turned out the uncle had gotten angry because the girl was upset and wouldn't stop crying so he'd pushed her. She'd fallen, hit her head and been killed instantly. He'd panicked, dumped the body and tried to run. A little police work and they'd found him at the airport, trying to leave the country.

By the end of the day, they'd made an arrest and everyone was relieved that the case was closed. It was awful what had happened to that family and everyone was glad that they could say they solved this one so quickly and caught the killer, especially Beckett who knew what it was like to have a loved one's murder remain unsolved for years.

They all went out for a drink after they'd finished their paperwork, trying to get the case off their minds. It didn't quite work, all of them still going home thinking about the life that had unnecessarily been cut short but they were all glad for the fact that they'd been able to bring the family peace.

And that is why Beckett didn't back down on this case or any other ones that got tough. The closure that she received after her mother's killer had been found, she wanted other families that had also lost loved ones to have that closure too. She really admired how strong Castle and his team were that they could do this for people every day and that's why she'd dedicated her first book to her friends at the 12th and why she'd already decided to dedicate her next book to Castle.

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Thanks to all those who reviewed/favourited/followed.

Thoughts?


	5. Chapter 5

This is set about mid season 3 so they've known each other for a few years now.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters and George Sanford is completely fictional.**

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Beckett couldn't believe it, her book was being made into a movie and today was the day that she got to meet the actors who were going to be playing Jameson Rook and Nikki Heat. She'd been excited at the idea when her publisher had first mentioned it to her. Since then she'd seen scripts, met producers and writers and now that the actors for Nikki and Jameson had been chosen, she'd get to meet them too.

The studio had arranged for both actors to shadow them for a few days so they could portray their characters more accurately and today was the day she'd finally get to meet them.

XXX

Things hadn't gone exactly as Beckett had planned. She thought she'd enjoy meeting the real life versions of her characters but she was wrong. For one reason, they weren't anything like she'd imagined they'd be, they just seemed wrong. That was probably in large part due to the fact that she now imagined Castle and herself as Rook and Heat so when she first saw George Sanford and Natalie Rhodes, they didn't look the part. But she could get over that, they were actors so she hoped they'd at least be able to act the part and let make up and costuming do the rest.

No, the thing that bothered her was how Natalie was acting towards Castle. She was here to observe what she did at the precinct, not flirt with Castle the entire time. She'd talked to her for half an hour tops before she was basically all over Castle. Asking him questions about his job and blatantly flirting with him and it was painful to watch, especially when she could tell exactly what Natalie wanted and by the way Castle was smiling in return, maybe he wanted the same thing too.

And with Natalie talking to Castle, that left her to fend off the advances of George who had been shamelessly flirting with her too. He'd started by asking questions about what she did here at the precinct, then the questions turned more towards her books and how big a fan he was of her work. That was okay, she'd dealt with questions like that before but when he started telling her how beautiful he thought she was and other complimenting words, that's when she realised what his true motives were.

When he'd asked her to have dinner with him, she'd literally just turned and walked away, not knowing what to say. Since then, she'd been hanging around Ryan and Esposito so George wouldn't get a chance to talk to her alone again.

She really wished they had a case or some other excuse to leave the precinct because she was getting sick of having to avoid George. What was worse however was she still had to watch Natalie and Castle together and while she wouldn't admit it out loud, she was extremely jealous. Castle couldn't possibly like Natalie more than he liked her, could he? He hadn't even known Natalie that long! She still couldn't believe how Castle had wormed his way into her heart but he had and she was well on her way to being completely in love with him and she hoped he felt the same.

Beckett had finally had enough so she suggested that Natalie and George should take a break and go get some food. They'd protested at first, saying they'd rather stick around the precinct and eat but Beckett had been insistent and eventually they'd agreed to leave. They'd be back in an hour or so after lunch but for now, she could relax. She decided she needed coffee so made her way to the break room only to find Castle there, already making her a cup.

"Thanks," she said, once he'd handed her a cup and she closed her eyes as the hot liquid slid down her throat.

Coffee had sort of become their thing. Castle had a cup for her whenever she turned up at the precinct or whenever he picked her up on the way to a crime scene. She'd always needed the caffeine when she'd been just writing and now she needs it to get her through the long days and nights when they have a case and she's glad Castle always has a cup ready for her when she needs one.

"So, what do you think of Natalie and George? Think they'll play a good us?" Castle asked, curious of Beckett's opinion of her book characters come to life.

"I'm not sure," replied Beckett, "they're not exactly what I had in mind when I wrote the characters."

"Because you imagine Nikki and Jameson as us, you mean?" asked Castle, knowing that saying that would annoy Beckett.

"No, I just, they're different okay? But they're actors so here's hoping they can at least act like my characters even if they don't look like them," answered Beckett, not letting Castle know that he was at least partly correct.

"I think George is too good looking to play a cop anyway," said Castle, trying to distract Beckett and hopefully make her laugh.

Castle was delighted when he did get a laugh out of Beckett before she said, "Afraid I think he's better looking than you, Castle?"

"Are you afraid that I think Natalie is better looking than you?" asked Castle, somehow knowing that she had been thinking just that and suddenly, their conversation had taken a more serious turn.

"What, no, why would it bother me what you think of Natalie?" asked Beckett, trying desperately to appear calm and unaffected by Castle's question.

"It was just a question," replied castle and then he paused, just looking at Beckett, trying to determine what she was thinking now, before he continued, "and I don't, you know, you're much more beautiful than she is." The whole time Natalie had been talking to him, he'd just been being polite and he turned down all of her advances. In the past he would've jumped at the opportunity to sleep with someone like Natalie but not anymore, not when he had someone like Beckett in his life.

Beckett's heart almost stopped when she heard Castle's words, "you don't?"

"Of course I don't, Beckett," replied Castle, now smiling at her, one of those smiles that took Beckett's breath away.

"Good," Beckett replied, smiling in return.

"What about other me?" asked Castle and that was when Beckett saw that she wasn't the only one who had been jealous of the actors that were shadowing them. He teased her and he flirted with her but this is the first time she's realised that maybe all of that isn't a game and maybe his feelings for her are stronger than she'd thought. It had been no secret that he'd wanted to sleep with her but he didn't act just like that around her so she didn't think much of it. Although, as time went on, Beckett now realised how much Castle has changed since they met. Well maybe not changed exactly but she's seen a lot more of the real him than the person she saw when they first met. He doesn't even seem to flirt with any women any more, besides herself that is. How on earth had she missed that before?

"Beckett?" Castle spoke again when Beckett hadn't responded to his question but had kept staring at him. Maybe she didn't know how to respond? He felt like that question held more significance than what an outsider would see. He knew he had strong feelings for Beckett and while he still flirted and joked around with her, he was scared she'd run if she actually knew the truth. So this is why he was scared, he felt like he'd gone too far, pushed her, and now she was going to run. He knew that her mother's murder had closed her off from the world but he could see she was slowly opening up again and he wanted to help her do that.

"What?"

"You never answered my question."

"Oh, right," replied Beckett and then she decided that since Castle was honest with her, she should be honest with him too, "Well I don't find him unattractive…" and she saw Castle face fall slightly so she quickly continued, "but he just doesn't live up to the good looks of my partner."

"Your partner?"

"I..I just thought-" Castle cut her off before she could finish.

"Partner, I like the sound of that," and then he was smiling at her again and Castle's smiles were infectious and before she knew it, she was smiling in return.

They made a deal then, to distract their actors for the rest of their visit so they both wouldn't have to deal with the flirting, both having admitted it was unwanted. Also, so their characters could actually do what they came here to do, to learn about life and their jobs at the precinct so Natalie and George's on screen portrayal of them would be more accurate.

They were both happy with this arrangement because they no longer had any reason to be jealous. It also felt like something had shifted in their relationship, having been more honest with each other than they usually would be. Castle wouldn't push Beckett any further, for now at least, but he was glad that their relationship seemed to be moving forward and Beckett seemed to trust him now, which was a big step from where they'd started.

Beckett was glad she'd found someone like Castle who was helping to get her life to where she wanted to be and she was happier than she'd been in a long time. She'd found someone who really inspired her and she was glad that Castle didn't seem to mind having her around either. They were partners and she certainly liked the sound of that.

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I'd be grateful for any feedback. Do you think it's moving too fast or is there anything you want to see happen?


	6. Chapter 6

Longest chapter so far! Thanks to all those who reviewed/favourited/followed and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.**

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Beckett and Castle had been spending a lot more time together recently, and not just at the precinct, so when Castle invited her for dinner with his family, she eagerly accepted.

Castle had left the precinct to get things ready for dinner as they'd just wrapped up their most recent case. He still had paperwork to do which he said he'd do in the morning, he really disliked paperwork and spending time with Beckett was a good reason to put it off. Beckett had left then too, wanting time to stop at her place and change before heading to Castle's.

So now, here she was, standing in front of the door to Castle's loft and she was nervous. She wanted to make a good impression on his family. She'd obviously met them many times before and even had dinner with them on several occasions but this time it felt different. This time it felt more like she was having dinner with a family, one that she'd hopefully be a part of one day.

Because she knew now, she knew that she was completely in love with him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and she hoped that tonight would be one step closer to that. She was finally opening up after being closed off for so long, a defensive mechanism that evolved due to her mother's murder, she didn't want to be hurt like that again. Castle didn't know it, but it was because of him that she was willing to open her life up to others again.

She took a deep breath and knocked. When the door opened, she was surprised to see Alexis standing there, although she shouldn't have been since she of course lived there too.

"Hi, Alexis," Beckett said, smiling at the young red head.

"Hi, Kate," Alexis replied before gesturing for Beckett to come in. Beckett's smile grew when she heard Alexis use her first name, something she'd told her to do many times and it looked like it was finally working.

"Where's your father, I thought he left work early to cook dinner?" asked Beckett once Alexis had shut the door behind her. She'd noticed that Castle was nowhere in sight but she could smell food cooking.

"Dinner's in the oven which dad did cook but he's in his office. He's probably just reading a book, he does that when he's nervous," Alexis replied and then laughed at the confused look on Beckett's face so she continued, "go ahead, I'm sure he won't mind being interrupted."

Alexis pointed to Castle's office which she already knew where it was although she hadn't been in there before. She made her way over to the office door and stopped at the sight of Castle. He was leaning back in his chair, feet perched on the corner of his desk, his gaze flicking back and forth across the book he was holding. He had a slight smile on his face and Beckett couldn't help but think how content he looked. She could tell he was engrossed in whatever he was reading which was probably why he hadn't heard her arrive, at his home or at his office door.

"You're a sci-fi fan?" asked Beckett, recognising the book Castle had in his hand.

"Beckett, hi," answered Castle, blushing as he hadn't expecting her to have found him reading or to be in his office and then he continued, deciding to tell the truth, "yeah, I am."

"Good book, that," said Beckett, gesturing to the book in Castle's hand as she entered his office.

"Yes it is, it's one of my favourites, although it's not my all-time favourite," answered Castle, maybe it was time to tell Beckett what her books meant to him.

Beckett smiled at his response before she spoke, "I know your secret," she said before laughing at Castle's suddenly nervous expression.

"My secret?" he asked, were they still talking about books or had she somehow found out how he felt?

"You're a Beckett fan, aren't you?"

"I'm certainly a fan of yours," replied Castle, wagging his eyebrows at her.

"I'm talking about my books, Castle," answered Beckett, blushing slightly at the implication in Castle's words.

"I guess I can't really deny it when all of your books are sitting on my bookshelf now, can I?" asked Castle, gesturing to a row of books. And Beckett saw that they were all there, all of her books that had ever been published, even the early ones which she didn't think were very good.

"I knew all those books were yours, the ones you left around the precinct."

Castle chuckled, "they were, I wondered if you'd ever bring it up."

"Why'd you leave them lying around?"

"To tease you," Castle said sheepishly.

Beckett just laughed and shook her head, she should've known that was the reason.

"But that's not the only secret I was talking about," said Beckett, walking over to his shelf to find the book she'd signed for him.

"Oh," said Castle when he saw which book she'd picked up.

"I remember signing this although I'm sorry to say I don't remember you."

"Of course you wouldn't, you sign thousands of books and there's no way you could remember every single one of them." Castle vividly remembered that day, it was the day he met his favourite author and the first time he saw the beautiful Kate Beckett in person.

"Did you know you're the only person who has ever told me that this particular book is a favourite of theirs?

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, all the time I get people telling me that I'm their favourite author or that they love my books and most people's favourite is the Storm Series but I don't ever remember anyone saying this one was their favourite, except you of course," replied Beckett. She was still amazed that his favourite was also hers, it was her favourite out of the books she'd written.

"There's just something about it," replied Castle. "All your books, they're fantastic. I remember once thinking they were almost magical, but that particular one, I can't explain it but it is definitely my favourite. I've read it so many times I've lost count."

Beckett couldn't stop smiling, did her writing really mean so much to him?

"I've always loved to read, I used to read while mother was auditioning or rehearsing for plays and then later on, I used to fall asleep in Alexis's room after reading. And then I found your books and they instantly became my favourite. I've always loved science fiction so of course I would love your books but I even love the mystery novels you've based on, there's something just so captivating about your writing."

"Castle, I never knew," replied Beckett in an almost whisper when she could speak again. She couldn't believe how much he loved her books and was amazed that her writing could have that affect on someone.

"I know I joke and tease you about writing a book based on me, but you have no idea what it means to have your favourite author base a character on you," replied Castle, smiling softly at her, glad that he was finally sharing this part of himself with her and being able to let her know what her books meant to him.

"I bought you something," said Beckett, suddenly remembering the present she'd bought and giving it to him now would have even more meaning because of their previous conversation.

She pulled the wrapped gift out of her bag. He looked confused as she handed it to him but he took it anyway, wondering what it was. Pulling back the paper, he knew instantly what she'd given him, an advance copy of her latest novel.

"Beckett…I…"

"I thought you might like to read it before it goes on sale. I already knew you were a fan after seeing your signed copy of my book so I got an early copy to give you. I'm even more glad that I did now, knowing what it would mean to you," said Beckett, smiling at the look on Castle's face.

"Unfortunately I'll have to wait to read this because dinner should almost be ready," said Castle, looking at his watch. He wished that they could continue this conversation but they did need to eat and as much as he wanted to read, he wanted to spend time with his favourite author more.

"You can read it later," said Beckett, laughing at the slightly disappointed look on Castle's face, "come on, I'm hungry," continued Beckett, grabbing Castle's hand to lead him out of the room.

XXX

Dinner was incredible, Castle really could cook and the company was great. Martha and Alexis told stories about what they'd both been up to recently, Martha was in an upcoming play and Alexis talked about her schoolwork but they also both told stories about Castle which had them all laughing.

After dinner and dessert, they all helped with the dishes before Alexis and Martha went upstairs, leaving Castle and Beckett alone again.

"Thanks for tonight, I really enjoyed it," said Beckett, smiling at Castle as he walked her to the door.

"Anytime," Castle replied, returning the smile. He wished she could stay longer but they both had work early tomorrow.

Castle helped Beckett put on her coat and then it was time to go. Beckett was sad to be leaving, she loved the atmosphere, how warm and welcoming it felt at Castle's.

"Enjoy the book. Let me know what you think of the dedication," were Beckett's last words before she placed a quick kiss on Castle's cheek and then she was gone. Castle was too shocked to move, had that really just happened? He watched as she disappeared into the elevator before he closed the door after her and leant on it. He let out a long breath, had she really just kissed him?

He stood there, just imagining the feel of her lips on his cheek before her words finally registered, the dedication?

He pushed himself off the door then, heading straight for his study, he had to see what the dedication said. The first in the new series was dedicated to her parents, her mother especially and after that there was a dedication to everyone at the 12th, so what could this one be?

His breath caught and his heart started pounding when he opened the book and read the words,

**To RC, I couldn't wish for a better partner or friend.**

He couldn't keep the smile off his face after that. He loved that she now called him her partner, that she thought of him in that way. And now she was dedicating one of her books to him, he just couldn't believe how lucky he was.

_Thank you_, he texted her once his heart had slowed to almost normal again.

_Always_, she replied immediately and his heart rate increased again and his smile grew even wider.

Always, that was another thing that had become theirs, they'd always be there for each other. He settled in bed to read her latest novel with the same smile still plastered on his face and he couldn't wait to see her again in the morning.

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Review? What did you think of the dedication?


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